Latest Blog posts from ChristeningSilver.com

Jubilee Hallmarked Collection

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The UK's Assay Offices have designed a new commemorative hallmark in recognition of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Commemorative hallmarks don't come along very often. In fact, there have only been four since the Silver Jubilee of George V and Queen Mary in 1935. The first was released in 1953 for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. This was followed in 1977 with Queen's Silver Jubilee and then in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee. The only other commemorative mark in this 75 year period was the Millennium mark of 2000.

We have selected a number of our most popular gifts for hallmarking with this special mark. These are being delivered and added to the collection over the next few weeks. Follow the link below to see the current collection:

Jubilee Hallmarked Christening Gifts

A Christening gift is a lasting memento of an important rite of passage in a child's life. What better way to recognise the date than with a silver gift carrying a hallmark of this special year.

New Silver Plate Christening Gifts Range

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If you had invested in silver only three or four years ago, you would have seen the value of your holding increase by nearly 400% at todays prices. This is all well and good if you had the foresight and capital to make such an investment, but, unfortunately we are not all so lucky and the cost of silver is having a dramatic knock-on affect in other areas.

Here at CHRISTENINGsilver, we have tried very hard to keep the price of our sterling silver Christening gifts as competitive as possible, reducing both margin and costs whilst maintaining quality. Unfortunately, in some cases, the weight of silver in some products means we are currently purchasing them at a higher price now than we were selling them for 5 years ago.

We appreciate that when buying Christening gifts our customers are often working to a budget and we want to offer the best choice and quality possible at competitive price points. For this reason we are introducing a range of silver plate Christening gifts to meet demand. These gifts are manufactured by the same silversmiths responsible for our sterling silver range and in many cases to the same designs. The craftsmanship and finish are the same as our sterling gifts and the depth of plating in most cases allows for engraving.

This silver plate range will be growing over the next few months. For more details, visit our Silver Plate Christening Gifts pages

The Christening Service Dumbing Down to "Baptism-Lite"

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The King James Authorised Version of the bible is being celebrated this year – 400 years old and the language is still some of the most resonant in English. No matter what your religious persuasion, the seventeenth century translators certainly knew how to turn a phrase or two … apart from all the “begatting” that goes on in Genesis which can be a bit tedious.

Around the same time, using similar language, the Book of Common Prayer gave us the foundation for worship that lasted hundreds of years. Apart from the occasional tinkering over time, the Book of Common Prayer survived until the 1980’s when the Alternative Service Book was introduced, followed by the Common Worship series in 2000. Many of the changes were probably overdue with old services like the “Churching of Women” receiving their just deserts. Unfortunately, however, the erosion of that wonderful 17th century language had also begun in earnest.

And now, in 2011, the General Synod of the Church of England has decided to revisit the Baptism Service … to tone down the language even more.

The media have not been slow to label the process “baptism lite”, or as one commentator put it: “Christenings without much Christianity.”

This dumbing down of the service is designed to make it more accessible to us poor “non-theologically versed Britons”. Apparently, the language is not “earthed enough” and that non-churchgoers at the service may be squeamish about declaring that they “reject the devil and all rebellion against God” and renounce “the deceit and corruption of evil.” So there is now a desire for change.

This is a pity.

Firstly, the Church is underestimating the audience it is trying to placate. Those of us who do not regularly attend church enjoy the poetry and ceremony attached to a church service. To take away the bells and smells is often to take away the mystery. The Church’s reasoning is that by making the language more everyday they are allowing the service to resonate better with people’s experience of life. But don’t the majority of people seek something more from a church service, something that will lift them out of the everyday and help them to aspire for improvement in both their lives and the lives of others?

Secondly, with around 160,000 Christenings taking place each year in the UK, the Christening service is still seen as an important rite of passage. Surely a bit of poetic mystery wouldn’t be out of place on such an occasion. A Christening is the perfect opportunity for the Church to welcome people to the faith – an anodyne, prosaic service will probably be as uplifting as a PowerPoint lecture from your HR manager on Health & Safety.

Luckily, the speed at which the Church moves in matters of faith and doctrine can never be described as lightening fast and it will be many years before we see the new service in all its grounded, approachable glory. And maybe, just maybe, the authors of the new service will look back to the original language of the Book of Common Prayer and realise that there is power in provenance … the understanding and connection come from the way it is delivered.

New Christening Presents for 2011

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We are always adding to our range of Christening presents and now have 8 different egg cups and egg cup and spoon sets to choose from, with prices ranging from £59.99 to £155

The latest addition to the range is an egg and spoon set from a respected Birmingham silversmith. We chose this Christening present for its simple lines and quality of manufacture.

Egg cups have been a consistently popular gift on the CHRISTENINGsilver site, with the added bonus that some can be personalised with the engraving of initials.

We carry high levels of stock in the majority of these products and can provide next day delivery in the UK for orders placed before 12 noon.

Our full egg cup range can be found at our Silver Egg Cups & Spoons page whilst our complete selection of Christening Presents are categorised on our home page.

Christening Gifts - Silver Price Increases

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The price of silver on the world markets is increasing month on month, putting enormous pressure on the price of our sterling silver Christening gifts.

In January 2009 an ounce of silver cost around £8 and by January 1st 2010 this had risen to £11.37 an ounce. This was a pretty impressive hike in overhead for the silversmiths and gift manufacturers to absorb, so some products started to creep up in price during 2010.

Unfortunately, the price of silver has continued to rise relentlessly as investors turn to the commodity markets, and the BRIC economies once again start to demand raw materials. By January 1st 2011 the price of silver was an eye-watering £19.88 an ounce! Silver had gone up two and a half times in only two years.

Like gold, silver is seen as a safe haven by many investors and we do not anticipate any movement in the spot price, except upwards, over the next twelve months.

We will continue to price our stock at CHRISTENINGsilver as competitively as possible - offering gifts well below the manufacturers recommended retail price. And, as we all know, every cloud has a silver lining ... no matter what, silver will always have an intrinsic value - what a great gift.

New Christening Gifts for 2010

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Our range of traditional and contemporary Christening Gifts is growing as we add new products to the range.

Sterling silver children's cutlery sets have been popular Christening gifts since Victorian times, but, unfortunately, the cost of silver over the last year has made such sets prohibitively expensive. A child's sterling silver cutlery set will now set you back over £200, which, in today's economic climate makes such items a rare purchase. For this reason we now have in stock a range of silver plate cutlery Christening gift sets, competitively priced at only £39.99. They come in three different designs: A traditional Old English pattern; a 19th century Dubarry design based on a Chippendale style; and a classic Art Nouveau La Regence pattern. Understandably, these sets have been very popular in 2010.

From Sterling Silver Loop Spoons to Sterling Silver Chip Forks, cutlery has always proved to be one of the most popular Christening Gifts - we are hoping to add more sets to our range later in the year.

Engraved Christening Gifts

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After four successful months, our Christening gifts engraving service is proving increasingly popular.

The St Christopher pendant with initials has been the most regular choice, offering a personalised, lasting Christening gift for under £30, whilst sales of napkin rings, bookmarks and cufflinks have increased month on month. However, the Christening gift to benefit most from the new engraving service is undoubtedly our traditional silver egg cup.

A classic Christening present, this silver egg cup has become even more popular now that it can be engraved with a simple set of initials. The majority of customers are choosing the engraver's "English Script" for the initials, perfectly complimenting the style & design of the cup.

Although we suggest allowing 2 to 3 days for an engraved gift to be dispatched, we have, more often than not, engraved and dispatched on the same day as a order. In fact, any engraving order that has been received by 9am Monday to Friday has been dispatched on the same day.

More engraved Christening gifts will be added to list over the coming months.

Silver Cross Bookmark added to Christening Gifts collection

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A new sterling silver cross bookmark has been added to our Christening gifts range and at under £30 it represents excellent value for money.

Containing 9 grams of silver and at 2 inches in length, this bookmark is an elegant present for those on a budget. We also offer an engraving service for this product, providing a personalised sterling silver gift for under £40.

This bookmark is manufactured and hallmarked in London.

More information can be found at our Christening Bibles & Bookmarks page.

Another Tooth Fairy First Tooth Box

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We've added another super Tooth Fairy box to our Christening gift range.

This is a substantial tooth fairy box, weighing in at over 30 grams of silver. Beautifully designed by a London silversmith and hallmarked at the London Assay Office, this is a great Christening gift or new baby present. A charming little fairy sits on the lid, whilst the pot has ample space on the side for engraving of a name or initials. A magic gift!

New Tooth Fairy Keepsake Christening Gift

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Over the past three years, taste and fashion may have changed, but our range of keepsake Christening gifts has maintained its position as one of our most reliable Christening gift lines.

Our first tooth fairy keepsake box, from a celebrated Sheffield silversmith, has always been popular and, at under £40, offers an attractive gift of high perceived value at a very competitive rate.

We are now adding another tooth fairy box to the range. This cute hinged box with a fairy seated on the lid

comes from a London jeweller. The box is engraved with the words "first tooth" and is priced at £49.

Further First Curl boxes and Tooth Fairy boxes have been booked for 2009 as we expand our range of Christening gifts - offering you the most comprehensive selection of sterling silver Christening and Baptism gifts you will find anywhere on the web.